Human Rights Campaign praises EA, Microsoft, and GameStop

Some of the biggest video game companies have earned some major kudos from one …

The Human Rights Campaign, the largest political-action group in the US geared towards defending gay rights, has given some high praise to three of the biggest companies in the video game industry. According to a report released by the group, Microsoft, Electronic Arts, and GameStop are among 259 companies that the HRC has given high scores to for their treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender employees and customers.

The report, The Corporate Equality Index, contains a complete breakdown of the factors that went into measuring these companies, and isn't shy in heaping the praise on companies that measured up to the HRC's scrutiny. "The 2009 Corporate Equality Index shows that corporate America understands that a diverse workforce is critical to remaining successful and competitive,” said HRC Foundation president Joe Solmonese in a press release. "In the absence of a federal law that prohibits workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression, it is up to employers to take the lead and implement policies that ensure all their employees are protected."

The report also awards high scores to other companies with ties to the video game industry, such as Best Buy, Dell, and Apple Computers. Even though most news sites (Ars included) have published some unfavorable stories about Microsoft, EA, and GameStop lately, it's nice to report on this sort of thing, too.